As anyone who has ever worn shoes knows, dealing with shoelaces can be a frustrating task. Shoelaces are relatively time-consuming to tie and tend to become untied, all too frequently, at inconvenient moments. Of course, untied laces cannot be ignored since they are a tripping hazard posing the risk of severe injury should they be stepped on.
Many have perceived the risk posed by untied or loose shoelaces and have proposed devices for grasping shoelaces and preventing them from becoming untied. Many of these devices have been complex and cumbersome in their construction. Others had no means to ensure that they would not become detached from a shoelace and lost. To date, none of these devices has seen widespread acceptance by consumers or great commercial success.